Novak Djokovic on Monday ensured that he will return to the top of tennis’ world rankings with an emphatic first-round victory at the US Open as women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff advanced.
Djokovic, who is chasing a record-extending 24th Grand Slam singles title in New York, shrugged off a late-night start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium to demolish France’s Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 in just 1 hour, 35 minutes.
The win means that Djokovic is guaranteed to replace defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz as world No. 1 when the tennis rankings are next updated after the tournament.
Photo: AFP
Djokovic is playing in New York for the first time since an agonizing defeat in the final of the 2021 US Open.
He was barred from entry to the US last year for not being vaccinated against COVID-19, meaning he was unable to play the US Open.
On Monday, the 36-year-old played like a man making up for lost time, reeling off 32 winners and breaking Muller eight times in a lopsided encounter that finished at about 12.40am.
Photo: AFP
Djokovic, who faces Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round, said he was unfazed by the late start to his game.
“I didn’t care if I started after midnight, because I was looking forward to this moment for few years, to be out on the biggest stadium in our sport, the loudest stadium in our sport, playing night session,” Djokovic said. “It was a great joy to be stepping out on the court.
“I think the performance explains how I felt tonight, particularly in the first two sets,” he said. “It was kind of lights-out tennis really, almost flawless, perfect first set.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Overall I’m very, very pleased with the way I feel, with the way I’m playing. Hopefully I can maintain that level,” he added.
Djokovic’s arrival on court had been delayed after a grueling three-set battle between US teenager Gauff and Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the preceding night game.
The 19-year-old Gauff was forced to dig deep before winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours, 50 minutes.
An ill-tempered clash was marked by tetchy confrontations by both players with chair umpire Marijana Veljovic.
Gauff accused the Serbian official of failing to properly enforce time violation rules against Siegemund.
“I felt like the rules were being bent,” Gauff said. “That’s why a lot of players get mad when these time violations are called, because one ref is letting them go over, the other is more strict on the time.”
Meanwhile, Siegemund voiced disgust at the New York crowd, describing them as “respectless” for the way they cheered every error or missed first serve.
“They had no respect for me, no respect for the way I played, no respect for the player that I am, they had no respect for good tennis,” Siegemund said.
In other women’s games, defending champion Swiatek needed less than hour to defeat Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1.
The 22-year-old from Poland overwhelmed her opponent with five breaks of serve and 20 winners to complete victory in just 58 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I wanted to start the tournament with everything I was focusing on. I was happy to play a great game, with all the pressure and expectations I was happy on the court,” Swiatek said after her win.
Swiatek, targeting her fifth Grand Slam title, faces Daria Saville of Australia in the second round.
While Swiatek advanced safely, there was no such luck for Greece’s eighth seed Maria Sakkari, who became the highest-ranked early casualty, beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, ranked 71st in the world.
Kazakhstan’s fourth seed Elena Rybakina was an easy winner over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, cruising through to the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
There was also a win for former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, making her first Grand Slam appearance in more than three years.
The 33-year-old Danish mother-of-two, who came out of retirement earlier this month, defeated Russian qualifier Tatiana Prozorova 6-3, 6-2.
Back in the men’s draw, Djokovic’s route to a potential final meeting with Alcaraz was made easier as Danish fourth seed Holger Rune was stunned in four sets by Spanish journeyman Roberto Carballes Baena, a clay-court specialist ranked 63rd in the world.
Carballes Baena punished an error-strewn display by Rune to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Norway’s fifth seed Casper Ruud reached the second round with a battling 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) defeat of Emilio Nava of the US.
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